Silent Hill: Identity
by jothocres
Summary: John Marshall, a drifter, gets a job offer for a temporary security position in Silent Hill. He takes it but is stunned by the revelation that his first job is assigned to him before he even gets to the town, to bring Lucy Malton, the seven-year-old daughter of one of his clients around the town. But his job becomes much harder when Silent Hill turns out to be an absolute nightmare
1. Chapter 1: The Train

**Chapter One: The Train**

Silent Hill was just another city to me. It didn't seem like a particularly interesting city at that. I drifted from city to city, doing odd jobs, leaving when I felt the job pool was dried up. It was a nomadic lifestyle, but that suited me fine. I never particularly liked people anyway. On the train there, I kept looking through my wallet. Nothing had changed from the last time I checked it. John Marshall was still on my license, and I hadn't magically obtained more cash. I sighed; I knew that meant another two-bit motel for my stay in Silent Hill. At least my employer in Silent Hill was kind enough to compensate me for the train. It was nice, a lot nicer than anything I had ever been on. I'm not even sure how they got a hold of me though. Sure, I was a security guard a while back, but it's not like I was outstanding enough to be known in a different city. And besides, it was a while ago. Was it suspicious? Sure, but after all my time as a drifter, I learned to shut up and take the payment. Unnecessary questions never got anyone a bonus. They seemed good for the money in my correspondence, and cash is what I needed, so of course, I was going to take the job.

My thoughts were interrupted by a slow series of knocks on my cabin door. I don't know what I expected to be behind the door, but it sure wasn't a little girl in a bright blue dress and a school bag. But there she was. She held herself in a timid way, trying her best to look at the ground while also looking at me. It wasn't really working. I managed to figure out that a six-foot tall guy wasn't exactly the most calming thing to a girl like her, so I decided to duck down and put myself at her level. Her face was freckled and her bright blonde hair was tied into twin-tails. She finally managed to squeak out a question. "Are you…. Mr. Marshall?" Well, that was unexpected. The little girl knew my name. Caught off guard, I managed to nod and answer," That's right, who are you?" She was quicker to respond this time. "My name's Lucy, I got on at the last stop and my papa says to give you this." Out of her backpack, she produced a tan envelope. Opening it up, there was a monogrammed card stock note card with a message.

"To Mr. John Marshall,

This little girl is Lucy. She is my daughter. This is your first task as a security contractor. You are to bring her to the Silent Hill Historical Society. I understand you are not a babysitter, and you will be well-compensated for this deviation.

Yours truly,

Arthur Malton"

It was curt, and a bit odd. But frankly I didn't mind. Extra cash is extra cash. And besides, Lucy seemed to be well-mannered, if shy. She didn't seem like the type to cause trouble. Looking back down at her, she had shifted her gaze back to her feet. "Well kid, looks like you're with me." Now that got her attention, her eyes immediately darting back up to mine. It appeared to be a mix of fear and shock. Poor kid. Already shy and she had to go with a complete stranger. "Letter says I'm to bring you to the historical society." I continued. It seemed strange to me. Why would anyone trust me with their daughter, and who exactly was I bringing her to? "Do you know anyone at the historical society?" I asked, part-curiosity and part-professionalism. I had to know who to hand her off to. "I...I don't think so. Sorry." Every word I made her speak I felt a pang of guilt for. She sounded like she was in pain. "Don't worry about it. Do you have your own cabin?" She just shook her head in response. That was fair. I really didn't need one either. It was really only a 5 hour trip on the train, and we were nearing the end anyway. My employer just said any form of transportation would be compensated, and I always wanted to ride on one of these things.

"Hey, I got some business to do on the train; do you want to hang out in here? It will be about an hour before we reach Silent Hill." She nodded this time. I was relieved. I thought she would want time to herself. I made sure she knew not to open the door for anyone; I had the key and could get in when I needed to. She asked if she could take a nap, and I told her that would be fine. After leaving and locking the cabin door, I made my way to the snack bar. I didn't really have any business here, but I wanted her to not feel like she was the cause of my leaving. She clearly didn't want to be alone with me for an hour of awkward small talk.

The snack bar was three cars from the car my cabin was in. It was all you would expect from a snack bar. Pre-packaged food and soda was about all they had, but the food was hardly on my mind. I hadn't really been given a say on the matter, neither did the girl herself. She was just shoved off to be my responsibility. That's a lot of faith someone put in me, having my first interaction with them to be taking care of their child. It didn't rub me right, thrusting your daughter into the hands of a complete stranger. But I couldn't exactly say, "No, get there yourself; tell your dad I'm not comfortable with this." I just had to deal with it.

I guess I had been standing an uncomfortable amount of time looking at the brands of candies while in thought, and the cashier snapped me out of my daze, asking "Sir, are you ok? Can I get you anything?" As I came back to reality, I realized how bizarre it must have seemed for a man to be silently standing at the snack bar. I managed to stumble my words out and reply, "I'll take a…", I picked out the first thing I saw, a chocolate bar. "I'll take one of those." It was no wonder I wasn't doing too well financially, I bought some chocolate so I didn't feel like a weirdo. Well, at the very least I had something to give to Lucy. As the cashier, an older man, grey hair and clean shaven, rang me up. As I was walking away, he decided to stop me and engage in some small talk. I learned his name was Arnold Saegen and he had been working on this train for 20 years. After other general topics, he eventually asked me what I was doing in Silent Hill. "I don't think I ever mentioned my destination." He seemed shocked for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Ah, it's the last station this route stops at, so I just had to assume."

It was a satisfactory answer, but I couldn't shake an odd feeling like there was something more too it. Paranoia wasn't enough to justify me pressing further, so I dropped it. Just then the cashier looked at the clock behind him and let out a sigh. "Looks like we're almost there, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you leave this cart so I can start closing up. Sorry, policy and all" I didn't object, I had almost forgotten about Lucy and wanted to see if she was okay. As I made my way back to the cabin, I went through a car that was scarcely populated before, but now there were quite a few people, mostly passengers preparing to get off. I was suddenly struck with a strange feeling, a realization. All of these people, so focused and absorbed in their day to day life, they barely even realized I was there. It was a bizarre thought; I hardly existed to these people. These thoughts hit me like a sledgehammer, but they felt wrong. They felt as though they weren't my own, as if someone had groped my brain and added these thoughts. I felt violated, not safe in my own mind. It hurt, my temples pounding. I felt so distracted, distant. I didn't even notice the pain in my head at first. But the pain kept growing, soon it wasn't ignorable. I buckled to my knees, and the world turned into black.


	2. Chapter 2: The Arrival

Chapter 2: The Arrival

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the cold. It was really damn cold. The headache was gone though, but… this wasn't where I blacked out. I woke up in another cabin, as evidenced by the women's clothes I feel I would have remembered purchasing. I got up from the bed and began to try to sort things out in my head. The first thing on that list was to look around, get my bearings.

The questions began to flow through my brain. I knew I was still on the train, but I didn't think it was still moving. I was alone, so how had I gotten into this woman's room? Why were the lights off and why was it so damn cold? Who was staying in this room? Where were they? Why was I here? I fumbled through the dark room for some sort of lamp, and after a while, I found one. No luck though, it didn't seem to work, no matter how many times I turned the knob on its side, it never produced any light. Panic started to set in, my heartbeat racing.

I had to force myself to slow down. I had the tools at my disposal to answer some of those questions. I was in that room because I had got light-headed and blacked out, a woman took me to her room to lay down, and when we arrived she went to get someone to help. It was dark and cold because we arrived and the train was stationary, so they probably didn't want to have unnecessary heat and electricity running up a bill. I didn't have anything to worry about and I had to scold myself for acting so scared, "You were just overreacting John, don't act like such a scared little girl!" The gears began to click in my head," Scared...little...girl…" The realization hit me like a sack of concrete. "Shit." Lucy. I told her not to open the door for anyone. She was probably still on the train, freezing in the dark.

I dashed as fast as I could go back to my cabin, screeching to a halt in front of my door. My hands shot to my jacket pockets to retrieve the keys. My heart sank. There was nothing in either of them. I searched all over my body, but every single pocket was clean. I knocked furiously. "Lucy! It's me! Mr. Marshall! I lost the key! I need you to unlock the door." No response. "Lucy, it's ok! The train's stopped! We need to get off." Nothing...at first. But then I heard it, a faint shuffling behind the door, then some footsteps. "Lucy! Let me in! Are you ok?!" Quiet at first again, but then I heard the muffled soft sob, quickly stifled by something, or someone. She was in there, and it didn't feel right. I felt like I had to get in there. I slammed my weight against the door, but it didn't budge. The thing was surprisingly sturdy. After about five tries, I had to give up. I had to find some train staff for help.

The cold was still present, but it wasn't something I cared about at that moment. I searched the cars, but the whole place seemed abandoned. No cleaners, no staff. I went car to car, checking for anyone or anything that could help. I yelled out for help, but there was no response. Every car seemed to be abandoned. Coming upon the last car I hadn't checked, I just automatically shouted "Is anyone there?!" not expecting a reply, and prepared to leave the train and look for help in the station. But I received a reply or something like it.

A disgusting squelch echoed in response to my inquiry. I froze in my place. I didn't know what it was but every nerve in my body told me to get the hell out of there. It was so unnatural, so guttural. Neither flight nor fight had kicked in, and I just stood there, unable to move. As if to remind me of what I had heard, a low gurgle echoed from that final car. As if the January air wasn't cold enough, those sounds made my blood freeze. My mind raced with the possibilities. What the hell was it? Was someone hurt? It didn't sound human, but…

"Is someone there?" I don't remember telling myself to do that. It just came out. But I received the same gurgles and groans I heard previously. I didn't feel right. My eyes still on the opened door to the car, I began to back up, step by step. Whatever was in there, I was fine with not getting intimate with it. I guess I didn't look where I was going though, because one wrong step and I tripped over something, sending me down on my back. It made a hell of a lot of noise too. I seemed to get the thing in the other cabins attention. I frantically got to my knees, looking for whatever I tripped over. I found it, but it didn't make sense. What was a lug wrench doing on the floor? I picked it up, but before I had time to theorize, I heard it again, the disgusting gurgles. And then I saw it.

From the waist down I was almost fooled into thinking it was normal, but from the waist up, it was clear this was an affront to the natural order of things. Around five feet tall, it stood on two legs and had sort of canvas covering its legs. At its torso, it looked like veins started to grow outside of the body, thin tubes, pumping black and red fluids, were attached to the skin and wormed their way throughout the all of the upper body and arms, all seemingly either originating from or directing to, one point. It's head, if you could call it that. It was shaped like a long sideways egg, or daylily buds, almost like a snout. It was discolored compared to the rest of the body, which was ashen grey. It had blue and purple patches all over the head. The more I looked at it, the more it looked like a daylily bud, with lines at the sides where a flower would bloom. Only this wasn't a flower.

I tried to stand up as quietly as I could; it didn't look like this thing had eyes. But as if it felt the shifting weight in the car or heard the subtle creaks my movement made, it sprang to action. I realized the head really was like a flower bud; as it split open to reveal fleshy petals with human teeth layering them. At the center was something I didn't recognize, a dark somewhat-reflective cylinder. But then out of that cylinder, a bright flash exploded, blinding me and making me drop the lug wrench, then it echoed out this awful screech, something like a combination of mechanical whirring and nails on a chalkboard. I stumbled back, unsure what to do until something finally got me out of the stupor I was in. The feeling of it rubbing against my body, its toothy maw attempting to latch itself to my chest and shoulders. I shoved it off, and it let out a harsh gurgling squeal and felt on its back, apparently not expecting its prey to fight back. I was still somewhat blind, but I could make out its disgusting shape well enough. While it was still recovering, I scanned the ground around me for the wrench. After what felt like the most painfully long moments of my life, I saw its outline on the ground, behind the monster. Then I saw the monster stop it's writhing on the ground and pull itself up. Its legs were the first thing up, and the rest looked like it was being dragged upward with a string. I dove behind it in a desperate attempt for my weapon, and it followed me, this time prepared for a fight. I grabbed it, and I managed to roll out of the way before it pounced on me. Getting to my feet, I swung blindly until I felt the metal connect, and I heard a squeal from the creature. It collapsed into the floor, and I opened my eyes. It was still alive, writhing on the ground, threatening to get up again. I couldn't let that happen, with as much force as my panicked body could muster, I brought the wrench down upon its mess of a head. I heard glass cracking and more desperate gurgles and squelches until finally there was silence. I collapsed from exhaustion across the cabin, as far away from that thing as I could get.

I sat in the corner for what seemed like ages, slowly recovering both physically and mentally. What the hell was that? It couldn't be real. But there it was, across the car, leaking red and black. It had managed to piece my jacket and give me some injury, and there were significant amounts of whatever that fluid was covering me. I couldn't understand, none of this made sense. I wanted to just close my eyes and wait for it all to go away. But I was struck by a thought more horrible than the monster. I imagined Lucy with one of those things. I didn't know her, but just the thought of a little girl being attacked by something like that, I couldn't bear that thought. She hadn't done anything to deserve this.

I had to act. There was no one on the train; there was nothing left for me to do on the train. I made my way to the exit, hoping to find something to use or anything that could help. I had to help her. She was already so timid and scared; I couldn't imagine she would be able to handle those…things. She was just a little girl, I had to help her. Stumbling out, I got my first view of the Silent Hill.

The entire town seemed to be blanketed in an impenetrable fog. I could barely see past forty yards. The cold air combined with the moisture of the fog made for an even more Siberian experience. The platform the train stopped on was desolate, no signs of recent life. There was no help to be had there. It was almost disheartening. But then I saw it, just barely visible. A bright red building. Getting closer to it I managed to make out what it was. It was the fire station! Surely there would be someone there who could help! I made my way to the entrance, making sure to ignore the movement in the shadows around me.


End file.
